“Might it be on the second floor?” asked Alzugaray.
“Let’s go see.”
They went up to the next floor, entered by a gallery of red brick, which was falling to pieces, and called several times. An old woman, from inside a dark bedroom where she was sweeping, bade them go down to the dining-room, where she would bring them breakfast.
The dining-room had balconies toward the country, and was full of sun; the bedrooms they were taken to, on the other hand, were dark, gloomy, and cavernous. Alzugaray requested the old woman to show them the other vacant chambers, and chose two on the second floor, which were lighter and airier.
The old woman told them she hadn’t wanted to take them there, because there was no paper on the walls.
“No doubt, in Castro, the prospect of bed-bugs is an agreeable prospect,” said Cæsar.
After he had washed and dressed, Cæsar started out to find and capture Don Calixto, and Alzugaray went to take a stroll around the town. It was agreed that they should each explore the region in his own way.